Gas lock



Feb. 23 1926.

- W. E. C. STONE GAS LOC-K Filed August 24,Y 1923 I IIHIIII lll'lllillllilllllllllll IIIIIIII Patented Feb. 23, 191261 UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

GAS LOCK.

.Application` filed August 24, 1923. Serial No. 659,157.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, lVALLAon E. C. STONE, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Gras Locks, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention being termed a gas lock, it will be understood that this invention is intended to be used in the control of the flow of gasoline from a tank, suoli as the vacuum tank commonly used on automobiles, to an explosion engine, or the like; but it should also be understood that the device' herein described and claimed is suitable to be employed wherever it is necessary to take precautions against unauthorized use or withdrawal of fluids delivered through pipes.

My present invention. may be described as an interposable unit, adapted to be inserted in a pipe line and comprising a connecting head and a control extension; and, in a preferred embodiment, the mentioned connecting head may be provided with an inlet opening at or near the top thereof and with a plurality of outlet openings so spaced apart as to permit of the selection of a preferred outlet opening `to be connected with an outlet or delivery pipe, there being a valved interior opening between the mentioned inlet and outlet openings.

It is' a primary object of this invention to provide novel and effective means for controlling an interior valve between inlet and outlet openings of a gas lock; and my preferred means for this purpose may comprise a valve whose stein projects into a control extension, which extension may house a spring tending to seat the said valve and also a milled head, or the like, provided with threaded engaging means permitting of a manual adjustment, and optionally permitting also of a manipulation bymeans of a r suitable key,-even when the said milled head, or its equivalent, shall be rendered comparatively inaccessible by the interposition of a suitable lock, which may be remoably secured within said extension.`

Otherl objects and advantages will ap,- pear fi'oll th@ Ollowing description. of .one

preferred embodiment and an alternative .embodiment of my invention, and from the lock may be regarded as comprising a connecting head l, integral with a control eX- tension 2, the said head being provided with a threaded inlet opening 3, at or near the top thereof, and with one or more outlet openings 4, 4', shown as arranged in substantially the same horizontal plane and eX- tending substantially at rightangles to the mentioned inlet opening.` By providing a plurality of outlet openings 4, 4, I am enabled conveniently to bring one or another of the mentioned openings, only two being shown in the form of my device which I have selected for illustration, into a position favorable for the connecting of an outlet pipe, such as the outlet pipe. 5, provided with a coupling 6, having a threaded connection with the nipple 7, screwed into the outlet opening 4, the unused opening 4 being closed in any suitable way, as by means of a threaded plug 8. Y

Any suitable means may be employed to connect the inlet opening 3 with a source of iiuid supply such as a gasoline tank or the vacuum tank 9, but I prefer to employ for this purpose threaded connections such as the bushing 10, and the nipple 11, the latter being shown as secured to an outlet fitting 12, at the bottom of the vacuum tank 9, and to the bushing 10, by means preventing the removal of my gas'lock, such as transverse pins 13, 14, a similar pin 15 being also optionally employed to prevent the removalof the bushing 10 from the inlet opening 3.

lathe forni-cf my invention @0561.1 ff?? purposes of illustration, the inlet opening 3 and the mentioned outlet openings are shown as separated by a web or partition 1G, provided with an opening 17, in Which is seated a valve 18, Whose stem 19 is shown as extend-ing through the* opening 17 and into the control extension 2, in suchv manner to render thementioned valve` substantially self-seating, although permitting of a suitable control by means of any desired'. mechanism protected or conlined Within said housing or extension 2.

In order to assure an effective seating of the valve 18 when no How of liquid is desired', I may employ resilient means suchl as spiral spring 20, confined Within a tubular portion of the Amentioned control extension and pressing against collar or other suitable stop 2l, secured on the valve stem' 18'; and, when a flow of gasoline, or the like, is desired, such a flowv may be effected by means such as the milled head 22,` having a threaded engagement, at 23, with the interior of a bushing 24, threaded or otherwise secured in the extension 2 and adapted to engage at 25 the lower end of thevalve stem 19, the described construction being such as tov` leave the valve 1S free tolind its own sea-t, When the milled head shal'lbe ro'- tated in one direction, althoughV tending to open, the valvey to' a predetermined degree, Whenever the milled head is rotated in an opposite direction.

In order to` render the milled head 22, or its equivalent, accessible only tov an author# ized person, I may provide the extensionv 2 with a skirt 2G, defining a chamber 2?, Withinwhich I may removably secure a lock 28, which may resemble the operating' part of a trunk lock of knownconstruction,A being preferably circular in horizontal outline and provided' with a pair of beveled latching elements 29, adapted toengage an inner annular ring or'should'er 30,A the described construction being such that, the loc-k being held stationary Within the skirt or housing 26, a rotation of the key 31' will cause a retraction of the latehing elements29' and permit a bodily removal of` the lock 28, thereby'giving accessv to the milled head 22, orv its equivalent, by which the flow of gasoline, or thev like, may be controlled from below.

Optionally, instead of employing a short key 31, I may provide the milled' head 22", or its equivalent, with agnick, or the like, in' theloWer face' thereof, in. order to permit the upper endl of" ai key', extendingjtire-ly' through the" lock 2S, to engage and" roL tate said: milled head', or its` equivalent, this alternative construction being sue'r that, when the lock 2 2 is permttetli to rot-ate freely With the lkey 31.', instead of being held against resettenixrr the nie-mier referred' to,

the key 31 may be employed directly to control the valve 18, as suggested in Fig. 3.

For the purpose of emphasizing the fact that the invention to be protected herein is by no means limited to the details of construction already described, I have suggestedv in Fig. 3 an alternative construction in which the'mill'ed' heafd' 22"' is provided at 32 With a threaded connection With the valve stem 19, in such manner that the rotation of the milled head 22 must cause a silnultaneous rotation andl advance or retraction of the valve 18a relative to its seat; and it should be understood that when either of the described constructions, or any similar construction', is employed, usual precautions must be taken againstv leakage, the employment of a' Washer 33, shown' as' seated against the' upper face of themil'l'ed head 22, being suggested for this' purpose, it being understood' that When. the valve 18 or Athe valve 18a is' suitablyel'e'vated to permit' a free flow of gasoline', thi' s` Washer Will effectively con'- tact' With the lower surface of the Washer 24 or 24a. I

Although I have herein describedv one complete embodiment and onealternative embodiment ol' my' invention, both of these being in the form of interposable units adaptedtolreplace' an ordinary elbow, it will be understood that various features thereof might be independently employed and also that Various modifications might be made therein Without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as the samek is indicated' abovel and. in the following claims;- and it' Will also be understood that my gas lock maybe employed in various relationships and' positions other than those t'o Which specific reference has been made,r

Tha-t I claim is:

1. A gas lock comprising a connecting head provided With an' interior opening and a valve seatedI therein, a key controlled means for unseating said valve, the stem ot' said valve extending into a control extension containing a handY operating means provided With means permitting its rotation by a key, a spring tending to move the valve toward its seat: and adjustable means to vary thc movement' of said valve stem.

2. A gas lock comprising. a gasoline supply chamber having an outlet port, a conduit connecting. with said port, a valve controlling saidv port andl having a stem passing transversely through said' conduit, a spring tending' to move saidl valve toward its seat-l a numually operable' screw having asocket in Which the' end ef' s .i valve stem is positioned tomove thejfalve from its seat, a housing belen* sadscr'eiv and; leckt in said. I'iousmg; preventing accese to saldi screw.

ply chamber having an outlet port, a conwhich the end of said valve stem is posiduit connecting with said port, a valve con` tioned to move the valve from its seat, a trolling said portand having a stem passing housing below said screw and a lock in said l0 transversely through said conduit, a spring housing preventing access to said screw.

5 tending to move said valve toward its seat, In testimony whereof I have signed my an adjustable bushing, a manually operable name to this specification. screw in said bushing and having a socket in WALLACE E. C. STONE. 

